Why this book? 本书的目的？ 〗

　　With America in rapid decline, many might wonder why we should look at the relationship of Christianity and American culture. Actually, the topic deserves our careful study just because the United States is falling so rapidly from its pre-eminent position in the world. We need to understand the causes of America's previous success and current failure. Only thus can we properly interpret the present and prepare for the future.

　　当此美国正迅速没落之际，许多人也许觉得奇怪，为什么我们要研究基督教与美国文化之间的关系。事实上，正因为美国由强权衰落的速度是如此之快，基督教与美国文化的关联就更值得仔细的探讨。我们需要了解造成美国过去强盛和如今衰落的原因，唯有如此，我们才能理解现在并规划将来。

　　The above statement assumes that Christianity played a role both in America's ascent to world dominance and in her rapid plunge. I hope that the following pages will bear out that assumption.

　　前段的叙述，是假设基督教在美国崛起成为世界强权以及后来的迅速殒落过程中，扮演着一个重要的角色。我希望以下的说明，可以支持我的假设。

　　We can make two mistakes of interpretation as we examine the relationship between American culture and Christianity. One is to downplay the influence of Christianity and thus to misunderstand completely both the origins and the subsequent greatness of this unique nation. Or we can exaggerate the influence of Christianity upon America and thus fail to understand the true reasons for America's current problems. I shall seek to avoid both these errors.

　　当我们探讨基督教与美国文化的关系时，可能犯两种错误。第一是看轻了基督教的影响而完全误解这个独特国家的起源和随后的强盛，第二是夸大了基督教的影响而无法探寻到美国现在问题的根源。我将尽量避免犯这两种错误。

　　My purpose is to help us understand what has happened in America, hoping that we may learn from the past, benefiting from both the good and bad examples we find in American history.

　　我的目的是帮助我们了解美国的历史，希望由历史中学习，从好的与不好的事例中获得益处。



Why study about America at all？ 为什么要研究美国？

　　Many reasons lead us to ponder the rise and decline of the United States of America. I shall list only a few.

　　有许多原因促使我们思考美国的兴盛与衰落，我仅列出其中一些原因:

　　- American has played a prominent role in modern history. The American War for Independence influenced the French Revolution (which differed in important ways from it) and countless other revolutions and wars for independence. The Declaration of independence has inspired millions. The U.S. Constitution is the oldest in the world and the most successful (at least until recently). American participation in both World War I and World War II brought victory to the Allies and changed the face of the map. America's conflict with the communist bloc dominated world politics for forty years.

　　美国在世界近代史上扮演着举足轻重的角色。美国独立战争影响了法国大革命(虽然两者在许多重要方面并不相同)，以及其它大大小小的革命和独立战争。美国独立宣言启发了千千万万的人。美国宪法是世界上最早的宪法，也是到目前为止最成功的宪法。美国参与了第一次和第二次世界大战，帮助同盟国赢得胜利，并改变世界版图。美国与共产世界的对峙，更主宰了全球政治达四十年之久。

　　- America has inspired other nations by its way of life. For a long time, Americans enjoyed the highest standard of living in the world. American freedom lured millions of immigrants from all over the world, resulting in the most cosmopolitan nation in history. American advances in science and technology led the world. American business and industry outpaced the world for a long time. American higher education has drawn the leading students from many nations. Even after the dissolution of the British Empire, English advanced to its current position as the international language largely because of American military, economic, and cultural supremacy, as well as through the (largely unnoticed) influence of American missionaries.

　　美国的生活型态，对其他国家也影响深远。长久以来，美国人民享有世界上最高的生活水准。美国的自由空气吸引了世界各地百万计的移民，造就了美国成为历史上最富于民族融合性的国家。美国在科技上的进步领先全球。美国的工商业一直执世界经济之牛耳。美国的高等教育吸引了许多国家的优秀学生来此深造。即使在大英帝国解体后，英语仍跃升为今日的国际语言，这要归因于美国在军事上、经济上、文化上的优势，以及透过美国的宣教工作的传播(但这方面的影响常被忽视)。

　　- Negatively, American entertainment media overshadow the popular culture of many nations. Popular American music and movies have contaminated hundreds of millions with false ideas of materialism, sexual immorality, rebellion against authority, and unrestrained individualism. Perhaps no nation in history has had such an evil influence on the entire globe at one time. At home, Americans are guilty of a high rate of violence, one of the highest divorce rates, a great number of abortions, the lowest academic achievement, and the highest level of debt of any advanced nation. No wonder Chinese governments fear "spiritual pollution" from American influences and Islamic leaders call America "the great Satan."

　　负面的来说，美国的娱乐媒体掩盖了许多国家的大众文化。美国的流行音乐和电影充斥了无数的物质主义、性泛滥、反抗权威、以及过度的个人主义的错误观念。大概历史上没有任何一个国家像美国一样，能同时对整个世界产生如此恶劣的影响。这些错误观念在美国国内的影响，表现于随处可见的高犯罪率、高离婚率、高堕胎率、低学习成就、以及先进国家中最严重的人民负债情况。无怪乎中国政府惧怕美国的「精神污染」，而伊斯兰教的领袖们称美国为「大撒旦」。

　　- On the other hand, America has been influenced by the Christian religion more than any major nation in recent history. Not only the Constitution and laws, but also the culture as a whole, came under the sway of Christian ideas and values to a degree perhaps unprecedented in world history. On the North American continent, many Christians carried out an experiment to see whether a try Christian nation could be forged out of the wilderness.

　　另一方面，美国受基督教的影响，超过了近代历史上任何一个大国。基督教的思想和价值观影响所及，不仅在宪法和一般法上，也在整体文化之中，其影响程度是史无前例的。在北美新大陆上，许多的基督徒建立一个基督教国家，看她是否能在旷野中生存下来。

　　- American Christianity has influenced the entire world. American missionaries (at times as many as 50,000 Protestants alone) have scattered throughout the globe, bringing a life-and society-changing religion to literally hundreds of cultures, both small and great. American religious broadcasting has penetrated the Iron Curtain, the Bamboo Curtain, and the walls erected by Moslem states. Billy Graham, an American preacher, has spoken to more people and has had private interviews with more heads of state than anyone else in all of history.

　　美国基督教对全世界都造成影响。美国的宣教工作(有时多达五万人)散布在世界每个角落，在不同的程度上，改变了数百种文化的社会型态和生活型态。美国的福音传播穿越了铁幕、竹幕(中共)、以及伊斯兰国家的围墙。美国布道家葛培理(Billy Graham)的听众，以及他所会晤过的世界各国领袖，比历史上任何一个人都多。

　　- America has greatly influence upon China and Chinese culture. Ever since American missionaries and merchants arrived in China in the nineteenth century, Americans and Chinese have played a vital role in each other's lives. American Christianity has also had an impact upon Chinese society. Even today, many Chinese either emigrate to America or go there to study; others see America as a "beautiful country" and hope that China can in some ways imitate its culture. At the same time, popular American culture has, as we have seen, brought great moral pollution to China. Even more disturbing is the rise of anti-Chinese sentiment in America, and the growth of anti-American feelings in china. How do we understand this complex relationship.

　　美国对中国及中国文化有极大的影响。自从十九世纪美国宣教士和商人到中国以来，美国人和中国人对彼此的生活影响甚巨。美国基督教也藉此影响了中国社会。到今天，许多中国人移民到美国，或是到美国读书，其它一些中国人把美国看作一个「美丽的国家」，而且希望中国能在某些方面模仿美国文化。在此同时，美国的大众文化如我们所见的污染了中国的道德文化。更糟的是美国的反中情绪，和中国的反美情结的滋长。我们怎么样理解这个复杂的中美关系.

　　To understand the paradox of greatness and the decline of this country, we must trace the relationship of Christianity to American culture.

　　要了解美国强盛与衰败之间的矛盾，我们就必须追溯基督教与美国文化间的关系。